A Film fanatic talks film.

The Year in Review: The Top 10 TV Series of 2013 Part 2

The final 5 shows on this list vary from a deeply emotional religious drama to a modern day reimagining of a superhero story. Each series has gained a spot on this list because they have kept viewers attached to their screens in a way few other shows have managed. So without further ado here are the best 5 series of 2013.

5. The Good Wife – While I lost interest in The Good Wife during it’s 3rd season I recently returned for it’s 5th and I have not been disappointed. Following on from last seasons game changing finale, season 5 has shaken the core of the show in a way that has breathed new life into the show. This season’s ‘Hitting The Fan’ proved one of the best episodes of television and one the show will have a hard time living up to. However I will keep lapping up this terrific series any chance I get.

4. Arrow – Not only did Arrow finish up it’s fantastic first season this year but it kickstarted it’s 2nd season with a gripping central mystery, some shocking twists and more than a few suprising guest stars. However what really made Arrow shine this year was how it fleshed out and challenged it’s core characters. Not only has the show grown past it’s procedural elements, the series has grown up and poses some decent anti hero questions of it’s audience. Easily the most accessable of the shows on this list, Arrow is a mature look at our superhero culture with some killer fight scenes and must watch storylines.

3. Breaking Bad – By the time Breaking Bad ended it’s first batch of season 5 episodes, they had set up one hell of a final run and creator Vince Gilligan did not let audiences down at all. Tense and unexpected, Walter White’s drug oddessey came to a close with more than enough blood, mayhem and broken families to last viewers a lifetime. Bryan Cranston managed to turn the increasingly derranged White into the ultimate anti hero everyman and it was good to see him go out on top, just one last time.

2. Rectify – Ray McKinnon may not be a well known name but his new Sundance series Rectify should put him on the map as a master of the relationship drama. Set over the first few days of Daniel Holden’s (Aden Young) release from death row for the rape and murder of his then 16 year old girlfriend, Rectify takes it’s time in dissecting every little aspect of it’s characters lives, from the opinionated ramblings of Daniel’s sister Amantha (Abigail Spencer) to the tender religious beliefs of Tawney (Adelaide Clemens), Daniel’s sister in law. The series is rich in character and is filmed beautifully. The overhanging question of Daniel’s possible guilt only adds more depth to this story making me excited for the shows 2nd season in 2014.

1. Boardwalk Empire – Some might have assumed but here it is, the best series on television right now is almost certainly this Martin Scorsese produced gem. Created by Terrence Winter and starring Steve Buscemi as Atlantic City bootlegger and all round criminal Nucky Thompson, the show unleashed it’s 4th season in September and it just happened to be the shows best yet. The addition of hypocritical mobster Dr Valentin Narcisse (Jeffrey Wright) and the concentration on side character Chalky White (Michael K Williams) made the season flow with tension as the boardwalk started slipping from Nucky’s fingers and allies became enemies. Flawless television made better by some devestatingly good performances.

My Profile

I am a freelance film reviewer currently ghost writing for Cinema Paradiso, a UK rental company. I graduated from the University of Hull with a BA in History and Film Studies where I spent most of my time reviewing and watching films.
I currently work as a bartender/waiter as well while I build up my workload. I enjoy writing, reading and discussing movies. I am obsessed with the movies of Sam Mendes, Noah Baumbach, the Coen Brothers, the Wachowski brothers and Richard Linklater